“We will, I promise.” Addi stood up on her toes and kissed Sam for several long moments. “C’mon, let’s finish eating so we can get to the airport. I want to see this surprise.”
Popping the last bite of bagel into her mouth, Sam wiped her lips and stood up. “I’m ready when you are.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Once they finished eating, Addison dressed and they made their way to the airport. Sam had taken Thomas aside before they left and had him contact the hotel that she had read about to reserve what he could for them. She wanted privacy and told him to please pay for just that. She also had him arrange for an assortment of clothes to be available to them when they landed.
Addison for her part; walked up the plane steps and looked around in wonder. She remembered the first time Sam had first shipped her off to F1 school. A devilish grin made its way to her face before she turned and watched the blonde slowly climb the steps. Remembering Sam’s leg, she rushed to help her up the steps. “Take my hand?” she asked, offering it to the blonde so she could help.
“Now and forever,” Sam answered as she took the offered hand. Slowly they made their way up the steps and Addison made sure that the blonde was comfortably seated before she sat herself.
“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” Addison asked as she looked at Samantha behind a pair of Ray Ban’s.
“Nope....” Sam reached over to pull Addi’s hand up to her lips for a kiss. “Let’s just say that I think that you will love it.”
“Hmm, I do like your surprises. Leave it to you just to spring them on me constantly. Can I have hints or are you completely going to block me?” Addi’s youthful face broke into a grin. “Usually I’m the one doing the blocking...” she murmured tracing a finger over Sam’s bottom lip.
“That’s my new job...blocking for you.” She gently nibbled on Addi’s finger. “I might as well start now.”
“Wait...what do you mean? Sammie, you’re always in front. I follow your lead both on and off the track.” The redhead sat up a little bit straighter in her seat. Sam’s good taste knew no bounds.
“No, off the track we are a team. We talk about everything and then make the decision, but on the track now, you’re the lead driver and I’m the blocker. You’re the better driver and it will shake up the Italians something fierce.” The blonde grinned.
Addison’s impression of a fish out of water was dead on. Pink lips fell open in jaw dropping astonishment as she stared at her future wife. “What about the board and the media...Sam, I’m not better than you, I could never be...I....” She was speechless. There was no way she could do this.
“Addi, I have faith in you and I own the company. You’ve already proven yourself to me and you are the better driver. I may have more experience, but you have the natural talent.” Sam reached over to close the redhead’s mouth with an elegant finger.
“Are you sure?” she whispered softly. She reached up taking off her sunglasses, gray eyes so unsure of her place in the world. “I can be your wife, I can be an excellent girlfriend, and I’m a great mechanic. But are you so sure of this? It’s your company? Billions are at stake.”
Sam shook her head. “Nah, just millions and yes, I’m sure. Never more sure of anything other than your love.”
A soft laugh escaped the younger red-head’s lips as she fell back in her seat, still trying to wrap her mind around it. “Just millions...?” She raised a hand to her head pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, then toying with the diamond studs that Sam had bought her. “If you say so, but my love is only for you. No price on that.”
Tugging the younger woman closer to her, Sam brushed her lips against Addi’s. “You’re right...our love is priceless.”
“At least wait till takeoff, you hound dog,” Addison teased against seductive lips as she felt her breath go short. Her eyes strayed to the cabin where the staff was, including the one flight attendant.
“I’m not being a hound dog if I’m giving you a kiss.” The blonde leaned to kiss her again. “Now if I should start unbuttoning your shirt and begin to suck on one of your breasts, then I would be a hound dog.”
“Oh really? Does someone have plans to join the mile-high club?” Addison husked as she watched Sam’s emerald eyes trace down her neck to her chest; then to her legs. She let of one of her hands toy with a strand of Sam’s hair. The thought of Sam taking her miles above the earth’s surface was certainly a turn on. She moaned at the idea of the blonde’s mouth on her body.
Bringing her eyes back up to Addison’s face, Sam grinned. “Well, as soon as the pilot says that we can take off our seatbelts, I’ll take you back to the bedroom so that I can check under your shirt that everything is exactly where I want it to be.”
Addi laughed. “Would my breasts have gone the wrong way during take-off?” she asked curiously as she waited for the seatbelt sign to go off. “As far as your come-ons go, that one was weak,” she teased, letting her hand drop from Sam’s hair to a button on the top of her shirt. “But I’m sure you’ll try again; you are persistent if anything.”
“Well, this plane is going at high speeds and one can never know if things get shifted during take-off.” Sam heard rather than saw the seat belt sign go off. “Would you care to join me in the back cabin?” She reached down to unhook her seatbelt.
“I’d love to join the mile-high club.” Addison grinned as she unbuckled her own seat belt and crawled over Sam’s lap so she could walk down the aisle to the bedroom.
Carefully Sam got up and enjoyed the view of swaying hips. “I like the view from back here. I think I’m gonna love blocking.”
Gray eyes glanced over her shoulder as Addison saw Sam’s eyes glued to her hips. “You’ve always had a thing for my...assets, haven’t you?” the redhead asked as she heard Sam shut the small bedroom door quietly. Every hair on her body stood on end as she waited for the blonde to touch her. She loved the anticipation almost as much as the capture and act of making love.
“I had a thing for all of you since the moment I first saw you.” Sam slowly strolled over to the younger woman, her eyes trailing over the curvaceous body.
This was something Addison didn’t know. “Just out of curiosity, how long had you been watching me?” she asked as she lay across the bed to watch Sam, hooded gray eyes anxious.
“I had heard about your driving a month or so before we first met and Nicky said that you were pretty good. When I decided to go down to Daytona to see you, I was hooked. I knew that I had to get to know you and get you as a driver.” Sam sat beside her lover on the bed.
“And I wondered how you felt when that night in the RV...the night you saw and learned everything that helped you gain entrance into my heart.” Addison smiled, pulling Sam’s lips to hers in a soft kiss.
Kissing the younger woman as her hands pulled at Addison’s shirt, Sam murmured, “I have never been so glad that Deuce got you to fall in the mud.”
“You did get an eyeful that evening, didn’t you?” Addison groaned back as she let her hands stray to Sam’s shirt, unbuttoning it slowly. “God, I want you....”
“I got an eyeful, a full bed, and my heart was lost,” Sam murmured as she placed kisses over exposed skin.
“I don’t think it’s lost, I think it just fell into the right set of hands,” Addi growled as she let Sam peel off her shirt, then her slacks. She left the heels on, and lying there in expensive lingerie, Addison never felt sexier. She also couldn’t believe Sam was going to marry her; the little girl from nowhere.
A soft snicker of a gun’s hammer being pulled back filled the room and Sam’s head snapped up to see James McCloud standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “Get your dirty lesbian hands off my daughter...you’ve already damaged her enough.”
Addison wanted to gasp out her father’s name when she saw him standing there, but her eyes narrowed at the gun in his hands, especially since it was directed at the woman she loved. Instantly, the redhead was in front of Sam. “Whatever you want,
I’ll do it, just don’t hurt Sam.” She wasn’t going to argue about anything, best to just give him what he wanted.
Slowly, Sam pulled the younger woman until she was in front of Addison. “Mr. McCloud...just take it easy. I haven’t hurt your daughter. I promise you.”
“The hell you haven’t...everyone knows now that she’s tainted. She’s slept with the Lesbian of F1...Sam Dupree,” the older man snarled.
The younger woman grabbed Sam’s arm and hoped that she would go along with what Addison was about to say, “Daddy...you’re right. I did sleep with her, but I only did it for the money.” Terrified eyes glanced at Sam, hoping she knew that this was all a ruse.
Sam’s face showed her disbelief, “Wha...Addi...what are you talking about?”
Swallowing her fear, Addison continued, “Daddy, whatever you want, we can work it out. Mom misses you and so does Clint and Maddie. We can be a real family again now that we have all the money that we need.”
James’s face lit up at the mention of them being a family again. “Charlotte wants me back?” he slurred and as he got closer, Addison could smell the cheap whisky.
“Yes she does, but you need to put the gun down because if it goes off, all of us will die,” Addison pleaded.
“I will, baby, but we need take care of her.” James took a couple of steps forward and motioned to Sam. “Why don’t you find something to tie her up with?”
“Mr. McCloud...why don’t you let Addison get dressed first? You don’t need to see her like this,” Sam suggested. She hoped that even though Addi was his daughter, her state of undress would distract him long enough for her to get the jump on him.
“I don’t think I asked you anything, Dyke. And you’re lucky I haven’t blown off your face for putting your hands on my daughter. Sit down. And don’t even thing that help is on its way. I took care of the stupid flight attendant and blocked the door to the cockpit.” He waved the gun at her as Addison looked around for something to tie up Sam with. She stripped the sheets from the bed and tore them to pieces. Then she pushed Sam into a chair and began to bind her wrists together. She looked up at the blonde. The tears in her eyes said everything she couldn’t.
Making sure that she kept her hands apart so that the ropes would be loose, Sam never took her eyes off James. She knew that she would only get one chance to disarm him and she had to make damn sure that she was ready and able when the time came. “How did you know that we were leaving?”
“Everyone has their price...” James growled as Addison finished tying up Sam and as she turned to face him, “...just like you, my daughter. You traded your virtue for money.” He reached out to yank Addison by her hair, tossing her out of the way, as he turned the gun back towards Sam.
She slowly sat up, watching her father point the gun again at Sam. “Dad, no!” She reached out to him, only to have him back hand her hard with the butt of the pistol. There was a loud crack and Addi slumped to the floor lifeless.
“Good...now Sam, where were we?” James McCloud growled as he turned back to the blonde.
Sam clenched her teeth together as her lover lay on the floor with blood trickling from her head. Her eyes darkened as she raised her gaze to the mad man standing across from her. “You’ve signed your death warrant.” She knew that she was baiting him, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“No, you signed yours the moment you set your sights on my daughter. When she wakes up, she’ll be holding the gun that shot you.” James shook his head laughing. “How better to get her to do what I want and get rid of you at the same time? I’ll talk her into taking the rap for me, but first, let’s see if there is any money lying around here. You owe me Bitch.”
“I don’t owe you anything. You didn’t earn it. Addison earned it, Charlotte earned it. All you did was beat them and drink,” the blonde growled back.
“Speaking of a drink. Don’t move. I’m going to pour myself one and grab your check book. Like I said, don’t move.” James dropped his hand and let the gun dangle from his finger before he dropped it onto the bed. Addison was unconscious and Dupree was tied up so he wouldn’t need it for a while his sodden mind figured. He headed out to the main cabin to find more whiskey to drink.
Quickly Sam loosened her bonds and got up from the chair, grabbing the gun. She knelt beside Addison and sighed with relief as she found a strong pulse. She was reaching for the phone to call the pilot, when James came back into the room with a bottle of Jack.
“What the hell?” He dropped the bottle and lunged for Sam, grabbing the gun.
Sam struggled with the man and growled as her leg threatened to buckle under her. Twisting slightly, she took them to the floor where she landed on top of him and started to punch him with her free hand. She shouted out, hoping that Drew or one of the pilots would be able to hear her in the cockpit and come to help.
As James fought for the gun, his finger slid over the trigger and slowly turned it towards the blonde.
Sam’s eyes widened as she tried harder to swing it back to him when it went off, filling the room with the sulfuric smoke. Her body jerked at the noise and both of them stilled for a moment before she realized that he had loosened his grip and let out a soft sigh.
“She was mine...you shouldn’t have taken her,” he whispered as his eyes went lifeless.
Drew burst into the small area, startled for a moment by the sight. He was pushed out of the way by one of the pilots who knelt by Addison’s still body. He tried shaking her awake, but she wouldn’t budge. Drew knelt likewise by Sam, pulling her away from the body. “We need to land the plane. Call the police, Addison needs medical attention.”
Slowly Sam got to her feet and helped the pilot pick up Addison to place her on the bed. She ordered him to bring her the first aid kit and to turn the plane around. “Call and have an ambulance meet us at the hanger. Drew, call Charlotte and just tell her that we are headed to the hospital. Do not tell her anything more. Make sure that the police and Nicky meets us also.”
Both of the men nodded, and Drew left the cabin, calling Addison’s mother while the pilot left to help land the plane. Addison hadn’t moved a hair since being brutally back handed with the pistol.
Carefully Sam tended the cut on the younger woman’s head, all the while asking her to open her eyes. “Come on, Darlin’...let me see that beautiful smile won’t ya?”
By the time the plane had returned to the airport, half of the airport security and it seemed almost the entire police-force were waiting on them. Thankfully though, the media had not caught wind of the situation. Addison was seen at the same hospital Sam stayed in after her accident.
The redhead hadn’t woken despite the doctors reassuring Sam that there was nothing neurotically wrong with her. When Addi finally awoke a day later with a severe concussion, she couldn’t understand why Sam was being so standoffish. Was it because of the media coverage? What had her father done during the time on that plane? She couldn’t remember anything after Sam proposing that they elope.
Sam had to spend a lot of time with the police going over what had happened and once the footage from the airport security camera had been looked at, she was cleared of any wrong doing. It had showed James McCloud sneaking aboard the plane with a gun in his waistband so she was cleared and his death was filed as self-defense.
Days passed as Addi lay in the hospital bed; she’d seen her mother, her brother, the police, even her baby sister. Doctors came and went, trying to make a diagnosis on when or if her memory would return.
It took another week for her to be released to her mother’s care at the house Sam had rented. She was kept in the guest house and under watchful eye of Neely. All she wanted was to see Sam, but she felt somehow it was her fault what had happened. She picked up her cell phone on the table and for the thousandth time, texted the blonde. “Can we please talk?” she sent.
The door that opened from the garden to her room opened and Sam stood in the doorway. Her hair was dull and her eyes were listless.
She didn’t look the younger woman in the eyes as she took a step in. She opened her mouth a couple of times before she finally whispered, “Hi.”
Addi scrambled to sit up and a dull throb screamed inside her head. She touched the gauze on her temple as she pushed the pain down and stood on her feet. Trembling, she walked towards Sam. “Sam, what did I do?” she croaked. She had to have done something wrong. “If it’s about my father...you aren’t to blame, it was self-defense,” she started.
Shaking her head, Sam started to reach out to the younger woman, but stopped herself and let her hand fall back to her side. “You didn’t do anything, Addi. I killed your father...I know that they are saying that it was self-defense, but I wanted him dead. He had hurt you and I had told you that I would always protect you, but I didn’t. I failed you when you needed me most.” She closed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair.
“Sam!” Addison protested; she teetered on her feet, not walking a straight line in her hurry to get to her fiancée. “If he had hurt you...I would have killed him. I don’t remember anything...” she whispered, reaching up to pull Sam’s hand out of her hair and hold it to her lips.
Carefully using her other hand, Sam steadied Addison. “It’s better that you don’t. It’s over with and he can never hurt you or your family again.” She wanted to take her fiancée into her arms, but wasn’t sure if she should. “You need to get back into bed.”
“Tell me what happened, Samantha,” Addison’s voice sounded as if she was a bit dizzy, but she hadn’t lost the fight in her. She wobbled in Sam’s arms a bit and wound her hands in Samantha’s shirt, pulling them closer together. She knew the only way to stop Sam from feeling the guilt of her father’s death was to show her that she didn’t hold the blonde responsible. “I love you and we’re getting married. You proposed to me and you can’t take it back now.”
Picking up the younger woman, Sam carefully made their way back to the bed where she gently laid her down and tucked the sheet around her. “You don’t want to marry me, Addison. I killed your father and one day you would hate me for that...your whole family would.”
Fast Lane Page 43
